


In the Face of Danger

by crescendmoon



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Implied Saren/Nihlus, Mostly a story of friendship turned romance between Shepard and Garrus, The ending is so cheesy imo oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-14 21:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17516081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescendmoon/pseuds/crescendmoon
Summary: The training mission Shepard and Garrus were on started out completely routine, until their survival skills are tested against something they never expected to happen.





	In the Face of Danger

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for [autistic-council-spectre](http://autistic-council-spectre.tumblr.com/) over on Tumblr, as part of the Mass Effect Holiday Cheer gift exchange!   
> I decided to write an AU where after the First Contact War, in order to prove humans can be trusted, many humans were required by the Council to live amongst turians on their worlds (including all families of soldiers who participated in the war). More details are in the fic itself. I did this so I could include both Shakarian, as well as Nihlus and Saren in the fic without them dying like in canon.   
> Also, I tried to look for things pertaining to your canon Shepard in the tags you provided for me, but I couldn't find anything...so I just ended up using default Shepard's name (Jane) and avoided describing her looks in the fic. If you wish for your canon Shepard's name to be used instead, please let me know and I can edit the fic for you!  
> I hope you enjoy it!

In  2157, the turians open-fired on human explorers attempted to reactivate Relay 314. The Alliance declared war on the turian hierarchy, and thus began the First Contact War. Within the next few months, both sides were out for blood with casualties rising on both sides. It took the Battle of Shanxi to finally earn the notice of the Citadel Council, who intervened before the war reached devastating levels. After much deliberation, and perhaps guided by their distrust of this new ‘alien’ species called humans, the Council sided with the turians; however, the turians didn’t get out scot-free, as the Council also pointed out that had they tried to negotiate, the war most likely would not have occurred in the first place.

And so, a consensus was reached: humans would be put on a probation period to be observed by the council races, and should they earn their trust and promise of not betraying that trust, they can live peacefully amongst the races and colonize how they see fit. While most of the human citizens were chosen to live out their probation period on the Citadel, those that were military-trained were required to move to Cipritine, the capital city of Palaven, the turian homeworld. The turians initially protested, but the Council stood by their decision, citing that it would be safer if the military families would be watched by the turians and live in their meritocratic government. The humans, not trusting the plan, stated that they would agree to the terms if they could still keep their Alliance military as a defense. Surprisingly, the Council agreed on the basis that if the turians were allowed to keep their military forces after the war, then so should the humans.

Hannah Shepard was amongst those who were chosen to live on Palaven, along with her daughter, Jane. Due to the thin atmosphere, enviro-suits were a necessity, which every person was gifted prior to their arrival. Hannah felt like a fish out of water, but still held her head high as she glanced around the shuttle. She only recognized one other person, formerly known as General Jonathan Williams…who after surrendering at Shanxi, became a disgrace to the Alliance and was forced to retire. He was with a young man, his son, Hannah assumed, and two younger girls, one of which looked to be around Jane’s age, while the other much younger. At least she wouldn’t be completely surrounded by strangers, Hannah thought. But with Jane’s interest in joining the military, Hannah wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea; her daughter was amongst turians now, not humans. She would have to work three times as hard to get noticed, not to mention the fact that turian children are required to join the military at a much younger age than humans. It would be a difficult life, and yet if anyone could beat those odds, it would be her daughter.

And so, when the first few years of the probation period came and went, Hannah stood in the docking bay of Cipritine to send Jane off to her first day in military boot camp. They shared hugs, said their goodbyes…and even shared some time with General Williams, who was also sending off one of his granddaughters to the same boot camp. Hannah smiled as she waved her daughter goodbye. ‘Beat those odds, honey.’ Hannah thought as the shuttle took off for Digeris to begin Jane’s military career. ‘Make me proud.’

.

.

.

**Five Months Later.**

“Ugh, can these humans do ANYTHING right?” A loud sneer from one young turian with purple facial markings.

Jane slowly got up from the ground, wiping mud off her face in the process.

“You’re the one who tripped her, fucking asshole.” Ashley Williams sneered right back with crossed arms.

“It’s alright, Ash.” Jane reassured her friend. “I’ll just have to prove myself in the training simulations.”

Ashley huffed but leg the situation go, flipping the turian off when he wasn’t looking and walked back to the locker room. As Jane tried to clean herself off, a towel was held in her direction. She looked up to see Garrus Vakarian, quite possibly the only turian in boot camp who didn’t greet her with a punch or ugly words when she arrived.

“Thanks…” She sighed. “Can’t wait for the training exercise in a few weeks…I can finally show the rest of them that I can back up my words.”

Garrus walked back with her in the direction of the barracks. “They just don’t trust humans…get that from their parents who fought in the war, no doubt. I personally can’t wait for the training exercise either.” He smirked at her. “Someone has to teach you how to use a sniper rifle properly.”

Jane playfully punched him in the arm. “And who’s going to teach _you_?”

They both laughed. Jane was thankful that the one turian she befriended was in the same class as her; they were training to be infiltrators, experts at stealth and using a sniper rifle with deadly precision. Of course, their tech backgrounds differed, so they ended up learning different skills that suit both of their needs. Sadly, her other friend Ashley was in another class, due to her wanting to be a soldier in the thick of the battle.

“Well, whoever ends up on top, just know that if we end up against some sort of creature with a taste for human or turian flesh, if we both fall, remember that I took the kill shot.” Jane grinned at her friend. Garrus was about to say something back, but was cut off when their teacher, legendary soldier from the First Contact War-turned spectre Saren Arterius, rush down the hall with an urgent stride.

Saren glared at both of them with mild irritation. “You both should have been back a half hour ago. But since you two are busy goofing around, you didn’t hear my announcement that the rest of class has been canceled for the day.”

Jane and Garrus glanced at each other. “May I ask why, sir?” Jane risked the question.

All she got in return was a harsh glare. “If you were at the barracks when you should have been, you would have known, now wouldn’t you.” And he took off down the hall. Jane sighed; it was just her luck to have Saren Arterius as a teacher for boot camp. His view of humans was less than stellar, and even to his fellow turians he was never the type to be lenient.

Thankfully, another turian was hurrying to catch up to Saren. Nihlus Kryik, teacher of the soldier division and had no ill wills towards humans. He was a firm believer of the meritocracy, citing that as long as someone proved themselves and worked their way up, it shouldn’t matter if they’re human or turian.

“Can you tell us why our class was cancelled, sir?” Garrus stopped Nihlus. “Saren wouldn’t explain anything to us.”

Nihlus let out a long, frustrated sigh. “Of course he wouldn’t.” He glanced down the hall in the direction Saren was headed. “I can’t tell you the details, but there’s been an incident. A student from the biotics division killed his instructor.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “Why would he do that?!” She bit her lip. This could easily be seen as humans turning hostile and losing whatever trust they’ve built up since the end of the First Contact War.

“Relax, cadet.” Nihlus seemed to sense her uneasiness. “Judging from the details we were given, this was an obvious case of self-defense.” Nihlus’s mandibles tightened against his face in anger. “Vyrnnus always had a sadistic streak, and this time he messed with someone willing to fight back.”

Jane sighed with relief. “What will happen to the person who did this?”

Nihlus crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, biotics are looked down upon in the turian hierarchy…the fact that the one who did this was a human will certainly be shown in a bad light. If push comes to shove, he’ll have to be transferred to one of the other divisions.” Nihlus looked between the two of them. “Most likely he’ll have to transfer to your class, since Saren has first-hand knowledge of how to handle someone with biotics.”

Good to know, Jane thought. She wasn’t sure how to feel about someone who would breaching the trust built between turians and humans, but if it was done for a good reason, she will definitely welcome the cadet.

“In the meantime, get some food and rest up. Training for your first big exercise begins tomorrow morning.” And Nihlus took off down the hall.

Garrus tilted his head slightly. “A biotic in a class full of turian snipers…this won’t bode well for him.” He sighed. “Turian biotics are rare, but those that do emerge are treated no better than bare-faced turians; a threat to society who must be kept under wraps. Can’t even imagine how a _human_ biotic would be treated.”

“We can give him a nice welcoming party, then.” Jane smiled. “C’mon big guy, have to be well-rested for the days to come.”

Garrus smiled back. “Right behind you, Shepard.”

.

.

.

The human biotic turned out to be a young man named Kaidan Alenko, a few years older than Jane and talented in his own right. As she expected, the others treated him even more harshly than they treated her, although at least Kaidan had a barrier to shield himself from the talons threatening to slash at him. And as promised, she welcomed Kaidan with open arms, and introduced him to Garrus. He was initially wary of the turian, but Garrus proved to be a good friend…it also helped that currently, Garrus was ranked number one in hand-to-hand combat, so no one dared to mess with either Kaidan or Jane with him around.

And so the days went by, all three of them training their asses off for the big day. The chance for them to prove themselves and whether or not they would be ready to move up in boot camp. Saren’s teachings were harsh, but at the very least was an excellent teacher; also, there wasn’t anything Jane could think of that would match Saren’s ruthless teaching strategies, so in a sense, Jane felt like she could be ready for whatever the hierarchy threw at her.

Ashley was getting ready for the same event, although Nihlus was far more understanding that everyone had different limits and learning curves. Though she also stated that Saren would sometimes pop in every now and then to check up on Nihlus, who seemed to enjoy Saren’s company…Jane couldn’t even imagine _why_ , but to each their own.

The night before the training exercise, it was obvious that nerves were getting to most of the recruits. The turians especially were pent up with stress, and Jane noticed that almost all of them left in pairs.

“Uh…Garrus? Why…?” Jane pointed in the direction of a couple of turians who left in pairs for the barracks.

Garrus’s mandibles slacked, presumably from embarrassment. “Oh, uh…they want to relieve some stress before tomorrow…it’s common among turians to do so before a big day.”

Jane’s brain was trying to compute this information, before her eyes widened and her own jaw went slack. “You mean they all…?”

“Turians need to work off stress, otherwise they won’t be able to focus on the mission…whether it’s done by sparring or by sex is up to those involved.” Garrus explained. “I’m positive Saren and Nihlus have relieved stress with each other on more than one occasion, judging from those subvocals that go off between them.”

Jane sputtered. “Okay, way too much info, big buy.” She scratched the back of her neck. “I never knew turians were so…open to this sort of thing.”

Garrus scratched his right mandible. “Humans don’t do the same?”

“I mean…I’m sure SOME of them do but not like this. Most humans see sex as some…important thing only done between couples, and even those that view it as a casual thing still tend to do so privately and not…out in the open among other people.” At least, Jane didn’t think so. “So uh…were _you_ going to find someone to…uh…y’know…” God she felt like she was a child again; why was this so damn awkward?

Garrus chuckled. “I spent all of today in the ring…not the best way to release some stress but it did the job for the moment.”

Jane could tell her friend was lying. She looked around the room, but saw no other turians around.

“I recommend avoiding the main barracks unless you want to witness a bunch of sexually frustrated turians going at it—” Garrus stated.

“Y’know…” Jane cut him off. Time to be bold, Jane. “If you want, we can relieve each other’s stress.”

Garrus stared at her for a moment, before she heard his breath hitch. And was his neck turning a darker shade of blue than usual?

“I-I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Shepard.” Garrus rambled. “There’s so many things that can go wrong. Our bodies are shaped very different, and what if we’re allergic to each other’s…” His neck got even darker. “You’re my friend, and I don’t want anything to ruin that…”

“Garrus.” Jane smiled. “This won’t ruin anything. Like you said, it’s just stress relief. Maybe even a learning experience.” She winked, which caused him to groan with embarrassment. “Just letting you know that I wouldn’t offer this to just anyone. But you’re my friend and I care about you, so…”

She fiddled with her fingers a little, but Garrus took her hands in his own.

“There’s no one I trust more, Shepard.” Garrus stated seriously, to which Shepard couldn’t help but blush a little.

“So…to the barracks? Or if you want someplace private, I’m sure the showers are empty at this time of night.” Jane suggested.

Garrus wouldn’t have minded either option, but he felt that considering what the other turians thought about turian/human relations, he opted to suggest the showers.

.

.

.

The big day was finally upon them; a training exercise on the garden world, Oma Ker. Because there was a fairly large turian population on this world, their exercise would be taking place in a remote away, as far away from civilization as possible. All the classes would merge and then split up into three teams, and placed in different areas of the map. With no radio contact from their superiors other than occasional comments on how the exercise is going, the students would only have their teammates and their own wits; it would be both a test of survival as well as how well they work together in teams.

When their shuttles landed on the planet, the first thing Jane noticed was how beautiful the surface was. Huge trees and plant life, vines and invasive flowery plants growing up the tallest of the trees. Of course, the trees and dense, rich plant life would also make it more difficult to traverse through; perfect for training recruits, she thought.

Once the classes were merged, Saren and Nihlus looked over a list of students and divided them into three teams based on each persons’ strengths and weaknesses. In the end, Jane, Garrus, Ashley, and Kaidan were all on the same team, along with a handful of turians she wasn’t familiar with. A turian named Camus was their group leader; he was from the soldier division, same class as Ashley. According to her, he definitely had the skills and morals necessary to be a great leader, and unlike most turians, was open-minded to human suggestions as well as turian. However, one of his greatest weaknesses was having to be forced to make difficult decisions; he failed a simulation that ended up with him having to choose between completing the mission and sacrificing some of his squad, or saving his squad and failing the mission. He couldn’t decide in the time allowed, so he ended up losing both. Garrus pointed out that if Camus was a good turian, he would have picked the mission over his squad every time.

When the three groups were decided upon, the shuttles dropped them off in remote locations far away from each other, but still within travel distance. The goal of the exercise was to survive the wilderness and meet up with the other squads; they were given weapons for defense against the megafauna that lived on the planet. Jane’s group was placed right in the middle of a dense jungle, and almost immediately they had to go face-to-face with a giant reptilian creature. Sniper rifles were ineffective at close range, but luckily there were a bunch of soldiers and one talented biotic on the team to deal with it.

“Not even a minute off the shuttle and we already get attacked by something.” Garrus’s mandibles widened in a grin. “This should be fun.”

Jane rolled her eyes and continued to push various branches and vines out of her way. Maybe this was one of those times she was glad that humans required enviro-suits to be on these planets. She couldn’t imagine not having a helmet with all these unfamiliar plant life around her.

“Makes me wonder how the training exercise for biotics division is going right now.” Kaidan mumbled to no one in particular.

Jane heard and bumped her shoulder against his. “Biotics has a different exercise?”

“Yeah.” Kaidan nodded. “Biotics are separated from the rest of the classes because turians view biotics in a bad light. The only reason they made one in the first place is because of all the human biotics required to live in turian space after the war. Anyway, biotics have to train their mind and body, and often they are pitted against each other in one-on-one fights, kind of like a tournament.”

Jane thought the idea of doing a tournament against all the other students sounded awesome.

“Not as fun as surviving lost in the wilderness though, huh, Shepard?” Ashley chuckled.

Jane smiled. “Have to admit, this place is so beautiful I wouldn’t mind visiting here sometime.”

“Oma Ker _is_ a popular vacation spot for Palaven citizens.” Garrus commented. “My father used to go hunting here with his father when he was younger.”

“So turians hunt?” Ashley whistled. “Damn, you guys should visit Earth. Where I come from, hunting is practically the national past-time.”

“Probably a lot different hunting a moose or bear than…whatever is on this planet, though.” Kaidan said as he trudged—and almost tripped—through some mud.

Once they got to a small clearing, Camus decided it would be a good moment to rest and come up with a strategy. None of them were sure just how deep into the forest they were dropped off, but considering how they were supposed to rendezvous with the other teams, they probably weren’t in the deepest part.

“Do you think the other groups are dealing with giant trees and dangerous creatures, too?” Ashley asked.

Jane shrugged. “Probably. Though I’m sure they’re doing alright…if they weren’t, we would have heard from our superiors by now, I’d imagine.”

“While Oma Ker _is_ mostly a garden world, there are other habitats as well.” Camus stated as he looked at his omni-tool. “There’s an area with a vast mountain range, for example, and even a humid marshland.”

Garrus chuckled. “Now I’m _really_ glad we ended up in the forest.”

“Alright, I think since we’ve heard nothing from the other teams, it would be a good idea to rest here for the night.” Camus told everyone. “Vakarian, Shepard, keep first watch tonight.”

“Sir!” Garrus and Jane saluted him while trying not to grin. Camus grimaced, obviously not used to being called ‘sir’.

Garrus and Jane had their sniper rifles at the ready, checking for the slightest movements in the brush.

“So uh…” Garrus scratched his mandible. “We never had a chance to talk about…um…back on Digeris…”

Jane looked at him and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Like you said, just a way to relieve stress, right?”

“Oh uh, yes of course.” Garrus sighed. “Just wanted to make sure things weren’t awkward between us.”

Jane raised an eyebrow. “No…? Should it be?”

“It’s just, I never did that sort of thing with a human before. And even if it was just to…relieve stress…I at least want to believe that it was still…um…enjoyable for you…” Garrus’s neck turned a darker shade of blue.

Jane’s mouth slacked before she smiled. “It was very enjoyable, Garrus. You didn’t hurt me, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”

Garrus was relieved. “Sorry, it’s just…I consider you my best friend, Shepard, despite not knowing you a long time. I would hate for that to end over something like this, of all things.”

Jane glanced at Garrus with a softness that melted Garrus’s heart. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he knew right then that maybe his feelings for his friend were far more than he thought they were. He never saw a human this way; he always thought they were too soft. And yet something about Jane was different. She might be a human, but the way she moved during training simulations and also how she talked almost reminded him of a turian. As he thought these things, his subvocals began to purr.

“Are you…purring?” Jane’s eyebrow rose with amusement, and much to Garrus’s embarrassment. “So you’re happy, I take it? Sorry, I’m not that skilled at reading subvocals…”

Something that Garrus was very grateful for, because purring was mostly an affectionate subvocal reserved for someone very dear to them, whether it was family or…someone they loved. “Y-Yeah. Anyway, we should get back to…keeping watch.”

Jane still kept that amused smile on her face as she turned back to watch the perimeter…and Garrus refused to admit to himself that he ended up watching Jane much more than what was around them.

.

.

.

The sunlight began to seep between the trees when they were awoken by a harsh tremor. Garrus and Jane could barely keep their rifles steady enough to look through, but saw nothing within the forest itself that could be causing it.

“Stay down, everyone!” Camus yelled, which was actually really easy, considering whoever tried to stand up just fell back down with how violent the tremors were.

After a few minutes, the tremors subsided, and it became eerily silent.

“…Is everyone alright?” Camus asked as the rest of their team gathered together. “Did you see anything?” That question was directed and Jane and Garrus.

“No, sir.” Jane stated. “Whatever made this the tremor wasn’t of the forest.”

“It could’ve just been a natural phenomenon.” Garrus commented.

Ashley nodded. “Earth has many earthquakes of varying intensities.”

And yet, Jane still felt uneasy. “I recommend we stay on alert, anyways…something about this tremor didn’t feel…natural.”

Camus agreed. “Alright, let’s pack up and get back to walking.”

It took a few hours, but they finally reached the forest exit, and they were met with a large flat area of stone and mountains in the distance. Camus brought up his omni-tool to contact the other group leaders, one of whom responded immediately. They weren’t too far off their location, meaning they must’ve been the ones dropped off in the mountains.

It took a few more hours until Jane saw the other team through her scope, and they reunited. One team down, one more to go.

The reunion was short-lived, however, when another tremor started up, this time much more powerful.

“Shit!” Jane stumbled and fell, as did many others. Garrus managed to keep both feet planted, as did Kaidan thanks to his biotics.

And then they heard it. A high-pitched scream unlike any turian or human. It went silent for a few seconds, before the tremor got closer and closer to the surface. It popped out of the ground with a loud bang, the scream intensifying as it barreled down at them.

“Thresher Maw!”

Jane had never seen one in person, but it only took her a split second to realize that she hoped to never see one again. In the blink of an eye, the thresher maw slammed its body into the ground, instantly killing half of the students and dragged their bodies into the tunnels to be eaten. Jane stared with a horrified expression, frozen to the spot until someone grabbed her arm forcefully.

“Shepard, we have to move!” Garrus’s voice broke her from her trance and she and the others made a run for it.

She glanced frantically in both directions looking for the rest of their squad, and thankfully she saw that Ashley, Kaidan, and Camus were not part of the unfortunate who were killed. But the ear-pitching scream in the air was proof that the thresher maw wasn’t done feasting yet. It desired more, and when the tremors started, Jane knew that it was like a game of cat and mouse, and they were on the losing side. Every time the thresher maw popped up, she was forced to hear the haunting screams of the students being dragged down, some of which she knew from her own class.

A few fired their weapons at it, but it only seemed to anger it more as it headed straight for them. The screams got fewer and fewer. It was too much. As Jane turned her head to take a chance looking back, her gaze was met with the shadow of the thresher maw, it’s tall body staring at her hundreds of feet high.

“Shepard!”

Garrus’s voice seemed to be drowned out as fear took over. Jane kept running, but it seemed to do nothing; the thresher maw closed the distance in an instant.

“JANE!”

All of a sudden, her body jerked to the right as she was pulled down behind a giant rock. Garrus shot at the thresher maws eyes with his sniper rifle. “Damnit…”

Jane had to snap out of it. She slapped herself really hard, enough to make a bright red mark on her cheek, and Garrus’s eyes widened at her.

“W-What are you—”

Jane cut him off. “Where are the others?!”

Garrus peeked out of cover with his scope. “Some managed to make it back to the forest and are probably hiding there…Ash and Kaidan were amongst that group, as was Camus.”

Jane let out a sigh of relief. At least her friends were safe.

“Most…were killed instantly.” Garrus finished, his mandibles tightening against his jaw. “It’s every turian for themselves against a thresher maw. Stay in a big group and that’s practically an invitation to get flattened.”

“Why weren’t we told there was a thresher maw in the area?!” Jane couldn’t help but be angry at their superiors in that moment.

Garrus took cover once more. “They probably had no idea. They’ve been doing this exercise on Oma Ker for years and not once did something like this happen. Not even a report of tremors. Either the thresher maw is a hatchling who recently found itself a new home on the planet, or it was dormant, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.”

The tremors grew closer, and then the shadow of the thresher maw darkened their view from behind cover. The thresher maw had found them.

“Shit…” Garrus looked down at Jane. “Listen, Shepard, if we don’t make it out of here alive, I just wanted you to know that you are my best friend and I…I care a lot about you.” He took one final shot at the thresher maw’s eyes, which seemed to stun it for a moment.

“…Jane.”

Garrus glanced back at Jane with confusion.

Jane clarified. “Back when we were running. You called me ‘Jane’.” She smiled. “I wouldn’t mind if you called me that, instead of ‘Shepard’.” This whole moment sounded like their final farewells. They were really going to die here, weren’t they? She wanted Garrus to live, but if they were to die, at least it would be with each other.

Still deep in thought, she felt a soft pressure on her forehead. Garrus pressed his forehead against hers, and time seemed to slow. She’s been around enough turians to know what this was; Garrus was giving her a turian kiss, one that meant a lot more than a simple peck on the cheek. That gesture was only used between lovers, not friends.

“Garrus, you—” Jane couldn’t get the rest out as the shadow grew darker and they both held each other’s gaze. Jane then realized that if they were to die, she would want her final thoughts to be of Garrus. They only saw each other as the shadow grew darker, and they could both feel the pressure as the thresher maw readied another strike. It was all over for them, wasn’t it…?

And yet, nothing happened. The shadow backed away, and when they both glanced up, a giant glowing mass of energy shot through the air and hit the thresher maw, causing it to screech in pain. Saren came into view, walking towards it and them with a menacing glare. Jane thought that this scene wouldn’t be out of place in an action movie made in Hollywood.

“If you two are done acting like hormonal teenagers, I suggest you get out of here.” Saren’s hands began glowing blue, and Jane’s eyes widened in shock. Saren was a turian biotic! Something she was very grateful for, as she helped Garrus to his feet and they both made a run for it. As they looked back, they saw Saren engaging talon-to-talon with the thresher maw, and he was winning! With one empowered burst of energy, the thresher maw’s head fell to the ground with a loud, harsh thud.

Nihlus gathered the both of them up in a shuttle and ordered it back to Digeris immediately. Looking around the shuttle, she didn’t see anyone from her group anywhere.

“Sir, where’s everyone else…?” Jane risked the question, afraid of the answer and yet had to know. Garrus, who was sitting next to her, lowered his head slightly but placed a hand on Jane’s shoulder to stop the shaking. Wait…she was shaking? She didn’t even notice.

Nihlus looked at the both of them, and then back out the window. “We lost almost a thousand trainees down there. But if you’re worried about those from your group, don’t worry…most of them are accounted for, including Williams, Alenko, and Camus.” He crossed his arms. “Camus was the one who contacted us about the thresher maw attack almost immediately. Thanks to him, we got there before any more lives were lost.”

Jane could tell that Nihlus was holding back some anger. “As I’m sure Saren won’t do so, I’m obligated to in his stead. I apologize for this incident.” Nihlus’s mandibles tightened. “This has never happened before. We didn’t even know a thresher maw existed on Oma Ker…hopefully that was the only one, but we’ll send a military squad back there to survey the area just to be safe.”

Garrus could tell from his subvocals that Nihlus’s apology was sincere. “What happens to classes now?”

“…Those remaining will have a few weeks off in order to cope with the incident. You’ll all be sent back home for those weeks while we the advisors deal with the consequences.” Nihlus crossed his arms. “I’m sure Saren has a few words to say towards the primarch regarding the incident and lack of updated information.”

Jane and Garrus were both exhausted, so they were thankful that they were allowed a few weeks for themselves. Jane in particular felt a little traumatized by what she witnessed; she knew what she signed up for when training to be part of the military, but nothing could have prepared her for something like that.

Garrus was doing slightly better, probably only because as a turian he’s taught all about the dangers that he could face throughout his school years. Jane had to admire that about Garrus; he was a few years younger than Jane and yet still kept his head on straight despite the disaster the both of them witnessed and experienced.

“…Thank you, Garrus.” Jane smiled at him.

Garrus glanced up to look at Jane with slight confusion. “For what?”

“For preventing me from shutting down back there.” She clarified. “Without you there, I probably would have gotten myself killed.”

“Oh, uh…” Garrus cleared his throat. “N-Not a problem at all, Shepard—”

“Didn’t I say you can call me ‘Jane’?” Jane smiled at him.

Garrus’s mandibles slacked. “Oh, r-right. Jane…” He scratched his mandible and looked at Jane with eyes that seemed to be searching for something in Jane’s. “I-I’m…sorry for what I did. You know…touching foreheads and all.”

Jane tilted her head with confusion. “Why would you be sorry?”

“Because of what that gesture means. Only significant others do that to each other, and I know you and I aren’t…” He coughed. “I just thought that if I were to die there, I wanted to at least let you know how I felt. You don’t have to feel the same way but—”

He was cut off by Jane pulling him down into a kiss. His eyes widened; it was an odd sensation, Jane’s lips on his own mouth plates. And yet, he didn’t mind it. It was Jane, after all.

When the kiss broke, she smiled and her hand softly caressed his face. “That’s how humans show affection. And yes, I feel the same way.”

Garrus couldn’t help but purr once more, to which Jane chuckled. “So THAT’S what that purring means…duly noted.”

Garrus’s neck darkened blue once more and nuzzled Jane’s neck. “Quiet, you.”

Jane laughed softly and smiled, eyes getting heavier. It didn’t take long before both of them fell asleep on each other, thankful that they were both alive and together.


End file.
